Jason M. Frierson U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Las Vegas has announced criminal charges against two individuals as part of the Justice Department’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. This operation led to charges against 324 defendants, including medical professionals across 50 federal districts and 12 State Attorneys General’s Offices. The alleged fraud schemes involved over $14.6 billion in intended losses.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated, "This record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers."
United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada detailed that a registered nurse and a nurse practitioner allegedly applied medically unnecessary allografts and received illegal kickbacks from fraudulent claims to Medicare and other health care benefit programs.
Paulino Gonzalez, aged 40 from Las Vegas, was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States by participating in a $94 million scheme involving amniotic wound allografts. He reportedly received approximately $7,391,584 in illegal kickbacks. Mary Huntly, aged 67 also from Las Vegas, faced similar charges related to receiving illegal kickbacks for purchasing and ordering amniotic wound allografts billed to Medicare.
In total, the government seized over $245 million in cash and assets as part of this coordinated enforcement effort. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reported preventing over $4 billion from being paid out due to false claims.
The cases were investigated by agents from HHS-OIG, FBI, DEA among others, with prosecutions led by Health Care Fraud Strike Force teams across various districts.
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the Department of Health and Human Services emphasized their commitment to working with law enforcement partners to eliminate health care fraud that increases costs.
Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division reiterated their dedication to prosecuting those involved in such schemes which often result in patient harm or contribute to opioid addiction while misusing taxpayer funds.
Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins highlighted the unprecedented scale of this takedown and its importance in protecting taxpayer dollars and safeguarding patient care.
FBI Director Kash Patel underscored the commitment to pursuing those exploiting the system for personal gain as this initiative uncovered more than $13 billion in fraud.
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz noted that CMS is leading efforts through advanced data analytics and real-time monitoring to protect Medicare and Medicaid integrity before fraud occurs.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively billed over $27 billion.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
